


Through the Door

by vega_voices



Series: Come Rain, Come Shine [48]
Category: Murphy Brown (TV)
Genre: F/M, Found Family, Moving In Together, living in sin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 05:01:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17277551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vega_voices/pseuds/vega_voices
Summary: He wasn’t going ten rounds with her about exact couch placement in an office that was supposed to be his domain.





	Through the Door

**Title:** Through the Door  
**Author:** vegawriters  
**Fandom:** Murphy Brown  
**Series:** Come Rain, Come Shine  
**Pairing:** Murphy Brown/Peter Hunt  
**Rating:** Mature  
**Timeframe:** _The Big Thaw_ (season 9)  
**A/N:** A specific note on Avery’s age - so they age Avery up to 8(ish) in season 10. Which means there is a lot of time weirdness in seasons 6-9. So, this is why Avery is seven here. It works, okay. :)  
**Disclaimer:** Per usual, Murphy is owned by Bend in the Road Productions (Diane English) and Warner Bros. Please, let us not forget the most important thing: the producers at the end of season 7 elected to make a very dumb decision and we are choosing to ignore it. I’m just over here driving the Porsche around. I promise not to fuck it up.

 **Summary:** _He wasn’t going ten rounds with her about exact couch placement in an office that was supposed to be his domain._

The clock rolled over to 12:01 with Peter buried deeply inside of Murphy. His hands pinned hers above her head, his hips danced with hers as they pushed their way into the new year with no reservations about the future.

Tonight they were kid free, worry free. Tonight was about them, reconnecting. It had been months since they’d even had the chance to talk. Months of letters piling up, and the ones that got out not making it back stateside. Months of him dodging bullets in the deepest of jungles, unable to even check in with his producers half the time. He’d rolled off the plane, dropped the tapes of his interviews at the network, and caught a cab to Murphy’s before he even bothered showering. Lucky for her sheets, she wasn’t there. Dropping Avery at his first New Year’s Eve sleepover, it turned out. She’d come in as he emerged from the shower and the only words spoken in the hour since they’d said terse hellos had been related to god, fucking, and cursing the other’s name. He needed to stop taking these assignments. He needed to stop being a goddamned hero to anyone but his son. He needed to spend eternity listening to Murphy damn him to hell for all eternity as he delayed her orgasm one last time before they both crashed over the edge.

“Shit …” she moaned, wrapping her arms around him. “I have missed that so much.”

“Me too.” Peter pressed an open mouth kiss to her collarbone and slowly pulled from her body. She arched up as he did, reaching for a towel to slide under her her ass and he just smirked.

“Wipe that grin off your face,” she teased right back. “I’m getting up in a second.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Peter stretched out next to her, tracing lazy patterns on her stomach. “God, I’ve missed you.”

“Where the hell have you been?”

“Jungles. Chasing a story about deforestation and war being raged by corporations against indegenous populations.”

“I’d rather you were going after governments. Those corporations will stop at nothing.”

“Which is why …”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” She pushed at his arm. “I’ll be right back.”

Peter grinned and let her up, taking the time to pull on a clean pair of boxers and remake the bed. Murphy emerged five minutes later, an old Bullet’s t-shirt covering her. She leaned in the doorway, knowing he was looking at her. “Happy New Year,” she said. “Welcome home.”

God above, she was beautiful. He was still getting used to the cropped hair that had come off when she finally hit menopause. It was a good look for her, even if he did miss running his hands through the tresses that had caught his eye when he first fell for her. But the shorter look highlighted the ever playful look in her bright blue eyes while somehow only showing off her sophistication. He was a shaggy mess, fresh out of the jungle and she could still walk a runway. “Happy New Year.” He held out his hand and she joined him on the bed. “What have you been up to?”

“Well, just my usual ruling the journalism world.”

“Anchoring the Presidential coverage, being nominated for awards, sending people to jail?”

“But of course. Hey, the news business can keep changing and wanting me to do crap with Miller Redfield, but I’ve got my honor.”

“Do you really? Do any of us?”

“Shut up if you ever want me to do that thing with my tongue again.”

Peter burst out laughing. “All right, all right!” It felt so comfortable being back here with her, wrapped up in her, and he knew full well that he could be on a plane by morning, but right now it was perfect. And then, she surprised him.

“Hey, Peter?” She asked, just as silence was settling into them and he was drifting toward sleep.

“Yeah?” He cracked an eye and looked at her.

“What do you say you stop paying rent and just …”

Well, that woke him up. He stared at her. She stared back, her eyes clear and calm. “Let me get this right? You’re asking me to move in?”

“Yeah, well, I mean for the five weeks a year you’re in the states …” she teased. “I think we can put up with each other.” Her hand moved up to caress his cheek. “It’s long past time, Peter.”

“Okay,” he murmured, his eyes still locked with hers. “It’s a deal. I’ll give my notice and start moving stuff in. How do you want it to work?”

“We’ll figure it all out in the morning. Right now …” she leaned up and kissed him. “I’ve got other plans.” She moved his hand to her breast and Peter didn’t hesitate. After all, they had months to make up for.

***

  
Oh she was pissed. Absolutely pissed. She could have spent the morning with Peter, making plans for the rearranging of the townhouse to accommodate his stuff. A quick conversation over breakfast had confirmed he would give Avery his bed, and that since she had two guest rooms since Reena had moved on, he could have one for his office. Which meant there would be little arguing over things like which couch to put where. But now that it was real, she was focused on the outcome and wanted it to happen before she changed her mind. Instead, she’d braved the weather and made it into the office only to find that no one else had.

What the hell.

She was here, stuck with Kay. While the snowstorm of the century raged outside and her lover was home. Today was a day written for great sex while the fire crackled in the fireplace. Instead, she was here. Kay was going to owe her big.

“I could just go home,” she offered her boss, who looked far too comfortable at the glass table. Murphy still wasn’t used to Miles not being there and she wasn’t sure she’d ever forgive Kay for swooping in to take the job. She wasn’t a journalist. News was entertainment to her and she was far too willing to let the lawyers get their way over stories. Once, it had been an honor to be sued. Now, Murphy kept finding herself walking the line of shilling for her corporate bosses. The worst part was that in another life, they might have been friends. But this was this life, she had enough friends, and Kay Carter-Shepley grated on her nerves.

“No, no. We should take advantage of this time for a job evaluation,” Kay chirped at her. Murphy stared at her, contemplating the many different ways she knew to kill a person, and decided it wasn’t worth it until Peter could legally raise Avery. Once she knew for sure that her son wouldn’t be sent off to live with Jake, then it was open season.

Murphy dropped her things in her office and rather than appease her boss right away, she picked up the phone and dialed. Peter’s voice sounded sleepy and comfortable and she hated him with everything she had. “I’m stuck here,” she whined. “You’d better use this time to get some rest because I’m keeping you up all night.”

“Oh I love it when you make promises like that,” he came back across the line. “And hey, the mom where Avery is staying called. He’s staying over at his friend’s until the snow lets up. I figured I’d get a start on moving things around in that mostly empty room.”

“Good to know.” She stared out at the empty office. “I really shouldn’t have bothered. And now here I am, with the circus queen of journalism.”

“Is she really that bad?”

“Yes.” Murphy unwrapped the scarf from her neck. “All right. She wants to use this time for a job evaluation. Should I bring my Emmy to the table?”

“Just do it in your office,” Peter teased. “I’m going back to sleep.”

“Stay warm.”

“Love you.” He murmured.

“You too.” Murphy hung up the phone and walked out into the bullpen. Okay. “Let’s do this,” she said as she grabbed a cup of coffee.

***

“But you know, if you’d just let yourself pair off with someone like Frank --”

That did it. Murphy stared, open mouthed, at Kay. “Do you not know anything about me?”

Kay stared back, shock registering in her eyes. Ha. Yet again something Kay was unaware of when it came to her. “Um …”

“I have a boyfriend, Kay. We’ve been together for four years.”

“How did …” Kay looked utterly confused. “You? Have a boyfriend? How did I miss this?”

“Because you don’t care anything about the world you are now operating in,” Murphy shot back. “We’re all still game show contestants to you rather than people.”

“Who is it?” Kay leaned forward. “I mean, four years? You? That’s like saying you’re a warm, loving mother.”

“I’m also that,” Murphy glared at her. “And it’s Peter Hunt.”

“Peter Hunt?” Kay snapped her fingers. “Oh, he’s the hunk over at CNN, right?”

Murphy sighed. “Their chief foreign correspondent, yes. Right now he’s in charge of the South American bureau.” Yes, he was a hunk. But he was her hunk and she wasn’t about to have Kay drooling over him. Her living adonis also had a brain in his head.

“How did you land him?”

Murphy was not at all thrilled with the tone of Kay’s voice. “For your information, he was shot at and saw my face and realized he was in love with me,” Murphy bragged just slightly. It was still a point of honor for her, especially when she was terrified about decisions they were making. Like moving in together. She softened just a bit. It had actually been just four years to the day since he kissed her. “He came home from Serbia, kissed me, and it’s been … almost smooth sailing ever since. There were those rough few months a couple of years ago, but that’s it.”

“I just put together why you wear that sapphire ring. An engagement ring?”

“Of sorts.” Murphy looked at her hands. “I mean, yes. But we don’t have any plans to actually get married any time soon.”

“Living in sin. I like it.”

Murphy rolled her eyes. “Actually, until … well … this month, he’s had his own place.”

Kay shook her head. “Wait. You have the chance to climb on top of that greek god whenever you want and you don’t live together?”

“We’re two independent people with our own lives, Kay.”

“How is he with Avery?”

“Do you think we’d have lasted this long if he and Avery didn’t adore each other?” She took a sip of her tea. She’d started this, with her demand for Kay to care about their personal lives. So, now she had to finish it and be honest. “They’re two peas in a pod. When he’s home, they do everything together. You’d never know Peter wasn’t his biological father.” How did she get talking about this? Kay didn’t care. Did she? She glanced at the other woman, trying to read her expression. “What?”

“I’m sorry, I’m just legitimately surprised. This isn’t the reputation that you bring into the office.”

“What reputation?” Murphy rolled her eyes. “Oh, the I’m-A-Strong-Successful-Woman-Who-Don’t-Need-No-One reputation?”

A conspiratorial grin crossed Kay’s face. “Yes, actually.”

“I also have a kid, you know.”

“And many people are still surprised about that, too.”

Murphy groaned. But Kay wasn’t wrong and she was getting tired of sharing time. “What, that I can have a healthy relationship?”

“Well, yes.”

Murphy actually laughed. “Well, he’s gone more than not, so really it’s like having a houseguest every few months than anything else.” She paused. A lifetime of interviewing told her that Kay was giving her space to open up, to tell more, to be human. She had to work with this woman, at least for a while longer. Maybe she could give a little. “It’s frustrating as hell. But we make it work.”

“Good for you, sis.” Kay smiled. “I never would have known, honestly”

“Well, when he’s in town, you’ll see him around the office every so often. But the last few months he’s been in a jungle in South America.” Murphy set her now cold tea down on the table. “He’s been out of touch too, which is always worrisome.”

There. Was that honest and vulnerable enough for you, Kay?

“I’m sorry.”

She looked over. “Well, he came home last night and seems to be reasonably broken bone free. Trust me, that’s a feat in and of itself.”

Kay chuckled and then sidelined her with a move Murphy had to respect. “How does Avery’s father feel about him?”

“You seem to be operating under the misguided notion that Avery’s biological father cares about him.” Murphy caught herself and shook her head. That was harsh even for her. “Avery’s father doesn’t really have contact with him right now and to be honest, I don’t think Avery cares that much. They’ve met, but really, Peter is his father.”

Kay fell silent. Murphy stood up to refill her tea.

“I’m impressed, Murphy.”

“About?”

“You have this whole private life that remains private.”

“It wasn’t at first. Everyone in journalism wanted to know what was going on. But our fifteen minutes passed us by.” She shrugged. The conversation was such that she could spill everything. She could bring up the failed engagement, the miscarriage, Peter almost dying in Mogadishu. Instead she smiled. “So, Kay, turnabout is fair play.” Kay screwed up her face and Murphy settled in for the tale she knew Kay would spin. The game for Murphy would be figuring out how much was true.

***

  
It wasn’t until he had to pack up and move - again - that Peter realized just how much crap he had. Last time, he had needed to order furniture to fill out the two bedroom palace he’d rented so he could have Murphy and Avery over. Now, trying to combine his life with hers, he felt like he should just throw everything out and start over. Especially since he wasn’t sure exactly when he’d be called out again and the last thing he wanted to do was have Murphy handle his moving needs. He’d never find anything again.

Unlike when Miles moved, Peter selected a reputable moving service. He also made sure everything was set with Murphy before they arrived and that she and Avery were out of the house when the truck arrived. He wasn’t going ten rounds with her about exact couch placement in an office that was supposed to be his domain. There would be enough of that when she got home. The suitcases and boxes piled up in the guest room and what was now his office while he directed furniture appropriately. Murphy had ordered a dresser that matched the set in her closet - leaving him to decide what to do with his own battered collection. They cleared Avery’s bed out of his room and Peter’s old one went in. With a new mattress of course.

By the time the movers were done, Peter’s back hurt and he wasn’t sure how to handle the disaster. Boxes of books in the library, his research notes in the room that was his office, miscellaneous boxes in the basement. He closed the spare bedroom and his office doors, ordered pizza, and waited for the second tornado to touch down. It did, just after 7:00. Murphy chased Avery in from their adventures at the zoo, and tried not to look too obvious or nervous as she glanced around, checking for damage.

“Don’t worry,” Peter teased, “everything is hidden.”

“I’m fine …” she swallowed. “Hey, Avery, why don’t you go upstairs and check out your new bed. There’s new superhero sheets to put on.”

“Sweet!” Avery tore up the stairs and Peter walked over, resting his hands on her waist.

“It’s going to be okay.”

“I know …” she let out an anxious breath. “I know. I …” she put her hands on his arms and pushed back. “I know.”

“You’re sounding like you don’t know.”

“It all happened so fast and I know why I mean you could get called out any time and it’s another month rent but I …” she shook her head. “I mean. I …”

Peter put his hands on her face and kissed her gently. “It’s okay. I know this is terrifying to you.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

He caught her gaze and held it, reading the terror in her eyes. “No,” he finally said. “Because the only thing that’s different, honestly, is now you have to store your formals in a different closet in the house and we both have more dresser space.”

She snorted and leaned in for a kiss. “Don’t think you’re getting away with not helping with the mortgage and the insurance.”

“Does this mean I get to drive the Porsche?”

“Don’t push your luck, Mister.” She kissed him again.

“It’s been four years, Murphy.”

She draped her arms around his neck, the terror fading just slightly from her eyes. “And you keep asking, Avery will be driving it before you.”

“And yet,” he smirked, drawing her closer against his body, “why do I suspect you’ll be making use of the Range Rover?”

Murphy’s eyes went big and wide. “Well, we’ve got a seven year old. He and his friends have crumbs. Why do you think I wanted you to move in? I save on detailing the Porsche, and my payments are cut in half every month.”

Peter cracked up. “That’s my girl.”

“Damn Skippy.”

Their lips met, but they were interrupted by Avery’s voice above them. “Gross, guys. And I need help putting my sheets on.”

Peter snickered. “I’ve got this. There’s pizza in the kitchen.”

“Oh thank god. I’m starving.” She pushed him toward the stairs and Peter chased Avery up to his bedroom.

The Superman sheets were bunched up on the bed and Peter took one end while Avery took the other.

“So you’re really staying?” Avery looked up at him. “Like … here?”

“Well,” Peter tossed a pillow to Avery so he could change the case. “My schedule on the road isn’t changing. But your mom and I wanted to make this official. I’m here all the time anyway when I’m home, so it just makes more sense than having two places to live.”

Avery put the pillow down on the bed and looked up at him with the same expression his mother had. “What if you get hurt again?”

“Then I’ll have you guys to come home to, like the last four years.”

“What if you and mom get in a really big fight or something?”

Peter wondered how much Avery remembered from the tumultuous months after the miscarriage, if some subconscious terror was surfacing. “Then we do,” he said, going for honesty. “But your mom and I have been through a lot together and we’re still here. I think we’re going to be okay.”

“Are you guys gonna get married?”

Peter chuckled a bit. “Well, you know that ring your mom wears?”

“The blue one?”

“Yeah. I gave that to her a couple of years ago. Someday, I do want to marry your mom. But right now, kiddo, we just want to take it at our pace. Are you okay with that?”

Avery nodded. “Yeah. I think so.”

“And you’re okay with me moving in?”

“Yeah. I mean, my bed is bigger now and you’ve got better video games.”

Peter laughed. “Don’t tell your mom. She’ll kick me out.” That made Avery smile. “Really, kiddo. What’s on your mind?”

It hadn’t been until Peter met Avery that he realized even how someone lapsed into contemplative silence could be genetic. His son picked at the bedspread for a minute before looking up. “What if my other dad has a problem with it?”

Only after he snorted did Peter realize that might not be the best response. So he shook his head. “Kid, Jake’s got a girlfriend just like your mom has me. And …” he paused, wondering if he was about to speak out of turn and get in trouble. He decided it was worth it. “And you know he has a son with his girlfriend, right?”

Avery nodded. “Yeah. Ben. He’s like three or something.”

“Yeah.” Peter sat on the edge of the bed. “How does that make you feel?”

“I dunno. I mean …” he looked up and Peter drew Avery to sit with him. “Does it make me a bad person to be kinda mad at him?”

“Not at all. Your mom and I? We’re pretty mad at him a lot of the time. We want him to know you, and he doesn’t, and that bugs us.”

“I just … why did he need to have another kid with someone else? Why … why couldn’t I have been enough?”

The spectre of Jake Lowenstein was also genetic it seemed. The question that haunted Murphy now haunted Avery. Peter made a mental note to get assigned to Cuba and beat the crap out of the guy. Taking a deep breath, Peter forged ahead.

“I could give you all of the crap that people say to tell kids, but you’re too smart for that. Here’s the truth, kid. Jake got scared when your mom got pregnant and he took off. He took off because he didn’t want to live in DC and your mom wasn’t about to go off and do what he does. So, like your mom and me, Jake fell in love with someone whose life works with his. None of that is an excuse though. Jake has had plenty of opportunity to get to know you, to talk you, to be some kind of a father. He even came up here to tell your mom that Sarah was pregnant and said it made him want a relationship with you, but where has he been? So yeah, it’s okay that you’re pissed. Your mom and I are. And it’s okay if you feel like he has abandoned you. Because he kind of has. You deserve better from him and you deserve better from me, too. I’m sorry if my job ever makes you feel like I don’t want to be around you, because it is all I think about.” He ruffled Avery’s hair and interrupted the smartass question he knew was coming. “Okay, I think about kissing your mom too.”

“It’s really gross.”

“Someday, you might not mind so much.”

Avery wrinkled his nose. “Ew. Girls are gross.”

“What about boys?”

“EW!” Avery groaned. “Kissing is gross.”

Peter laughed, glad to have derailed the sad-kid train, but knowing he needed to make sure the emotions weren’t still lingering. “Anytime you need to talk about Jake, you can. To me or your mom.”

“Mom doesn’t like talking about him.”

“I know. But it’s just because she was so hurt.”

“She said he asked her to marry him too and then she got really quiet.” Avery kicked his legs. “When she gets quiet, she doesn’t want to talk.”

“I know. But she will. She knows you need to know about your dad.”

“You’re my dad.”

Tears touched Peter’s eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered, pulling Avery into a hug. “That means a lot.”

“You really aren’t going anywhere?”

“Well, I’m between assignments. So I’m going to have to go eventually. Soon, probably.”

“But you’ll be back.”

“Every single time.” He hugged Avery again. “Now, let’s go downstairs before your mom eats all the pizza.”

At the word pizza, Avery tore down the stairs. Peter finished smoothing out the comforter on the bed and headed downstairs to join them in the kitchen. He’d unpack tomorrow, and the next day, and again. There wasn’t any rush. He wasn’t going anywhere.


End file.
